Candidate profile: Aaron Cunningham

Aaron Cunningham is running to be a staff representative on UBC’s Board of Governors. He has been the associate director of student support and advising in enrollment services for the past five years, and has 20 years of experience working at post-secondary institutions.

The Ubyssey spoke to Cunningham about his campaign and what he hopes to bring to the board. We asked him the same questions we asked all candidates, and edited this interview for length and clarity.

The Ubyssey: Why are you running and why should people elect you?

Aaron Cunningham: I really want to contribute to the university and I want to be able to provide as much of my service and commitment to an employer that I really appreciate being a part of. I think UBC is a fantastic place. It offers so much community here. I want to see it improve. It's already a reputable institution but I want to see it even more reputable in the future. I really do think the people that make up the university — staff, students, faculty, researchers, folks that just call the campus home, all of these people make the university what it is and contribute a great deal to its success. I want to be able to serve those people. As a staff representative, I'd be serving in a great way.

Last week, the federal government announced it would be further reducing the number of new international study permits from 437,000 in 2025 to 155,000 in 2026. This is a 65 percent decline. How should the university respond to budget shortfalls that may result from this?

It's difficult to guess what this will do to UBC as a whole. I think we really need to continue to reinvest what we have in the technologies and the innovations of the university and find alternative sources of revenue. With that in mind, things haven't changed at the government funding levels across BC and federally. I think I would be advocating, supporting and getting behind a cause or an initiative to really push the governments into reconsidering the funding levels that have remained largely unchanged for years, and recognizing that the decisions they're making with immigration policy are really affecting our bottom line. We need them to be supporting us the way they should be, especially if they're making other decisions that cut off resources elsewhere.

Earlier this year, the UBC Library announced a “significant structural deficit” in its funding, despite UBC President Benoit-Antoine Bacon stating that the university is in a financially strong position. What do you believe is the correct response to the library’s problems?

I believe both statements may be true in some ways, because funding across the institution is quite complex and quite diverse. Overall, UBC may be doing fairly well and is in a stable financial environment, but that doesn't mean it doesn't come with certain aspects of our community that maybe aren't quite as healthy financially. These are some of the unfortunate and sometimes tough realities with determining where that funding would go. I can't speak necessarily to the library as I don't have significant insight into their financial records. But, the financial story for each unit across campus will be slightly different. I think one story isn't necessarily going to be the same as an overall picture for the university.

Should UBC organize teaching and learning around the tradition of a university as a place of pure knowledge-seeking, or around the interests of the post-graduation labour market?

There's a place for both. We have students attending the university for different purposes, and I think we need to serve both of those objectives. Students are coming here to learn and to be a part of an institution that is academically focused.  At the same time, students want to know that they're going to be employable when they graduate. Understanding what our labour markets look like in determining, at least to some extent, what we will be providing here to students at the university is important.

Over the last three years, some students and staff have called on the university to divest from companies they say are complicit in the Palestinian genocide. If elected, will you push for divestment from these companies?

I see the university as being a place for open commentary and diverse viewpoints, and we should be listening to each other across the community.

Despite a 44 per cent decrease in UBCV greenhouse gas emissions since 2007, the university is not on track to meet its 85 per cent reduction goal by 2030. Is there anything you would do differently to attempt to meet this goal? If not, how do you plan to approach climate-related issues at UBC?

I think we play an important role in what we do and how we advocate, ensuring that those goals that were put in motion continue to stay in motion. If elected, I would continue to advocate for those critical components to our university strategy and the sustainment of our campus into the future.  

Are there any issues important to your candidacy that you haven’t gotten the chance to talk about already?

I’m really trying to bridge strategy to reality by applying a realistic lens to the university’s goals and strategies. I think where I'm positioned within my employment role at the university, I have a lot of exposure to some of the things that provide that realistic lens to the strategies and to the policies that are being driven from the Board of Governors. I think that's a valuable insight to have at that level to ensure decisions being generated are sound, strong and well informed. Everybody's voice is important, and we need to ensure all perspectives are included so we are making decisions that will make a difference moving forward.